Water is flowing to Erin water customers but it won’t be deemed completely safe for consumption for at least 48 hours ERIN, Tenn. — Life will getting back to normal over the next couple of days for City of Erin water customers as water service returns to their homes and businesses after repairs were completed Monday evening on three waterline breaks.
“Our water (treatment) plant is up and running again to near full capacity,” Phillip Baggett, Erin’s director of operations, said Tuesday morning.
Officials are cautioning customers to boil water for drinking to remove any harmful contaminates that may have gotten into the water.
Additionally, the city has bought more than 150 cases of bottled water for customers affected by the water outage.
‘California mudslide’ The situation began on Saturday, when heavy and continuous rain caused an embankment along Highway 149 near Old Highway 149, to give way.
“It was just like a California mudslide where the mud took off down the hill, taking the waterline with it,” Baggett said.
After the initial break was repaired, two more were discovered and subsequently fixed.
Baggett said repairs were completed on a third leak in the waterline around 6 p.m. on Monday.
“It will probably be this (Tuesday) evening before the water levels are up in the tanks.” Because the water system operates primarily by gravity, water held in the elevated storage tanks creates water pressure throughout the system.
“The people at high points or who live on hills will be the last to get water,” Neilson said.